Chicago Cubs: Young star’s blunt self-assessment flies in face of “best ever” talk

The Chicago Cubs are steady and secure at almost every position headed into the 2025 season, but they seem to be especially secure when it comes to center field.

Pete Crow-Armstrong is their man and they plan on sticking with him.

It would’ve been tempting to slate Cody Bellinger in that center field spot, especially considering the team’s declaration of being “all in” when it comes to pushing for postseason play this year. Bellinger is an established veteran and Crow-Armstrong could’ve found a nice spot on the bench, playing fourth outfielder and serving as a late-inning defensive replacement while being mentored by the veterans.

Instead, Chicago was “all in” on “PCA,” pretty much naming him starting 2025 center fielder before the 2024 season even finished.

Bellinger, meanwhile, was traded to the New York Yankees this offseason.

The Ups and Downs…and Ups Of Pete Crow-Armstrong

Crow-Armstrong, who is about two weeks shy of his 23rd birthday, is coming off a roller coaster of a season where he ended up finishing on a high note. The month of August was especially eye-opening as the former top prospect hit .314 while smacking four home runs, five doubles, and two triples. His stellar game play that month– and over the last two months of the season– offered a glimpse into the kind of explosive asset a fully self-actualized PCA could be.

He’s continued that momentum this spring, hitting .519 with 3 home runs and 11 RBIs in 28 plate appearances.

In a piece for the New York Post, MLB insider Jon Heyman relays an especially noteworthy quote about Crow-Armstrong from third-base coach Quintin Berry.

“He’s the best player I’ve ever seen, he’s putting on a show,” Berry said. “He can run. He’s strong. He’s stealing bases. He’s doing it all.”

The Chicago Cubs Trade That Paid Off

The Cubs acquired Crow-Armstrong in a trade with the New York Mets for beloved, albeit frequently frustrating, World Series shortstop Javier Baez during what many regard as the great Cubs purge of 2021. Of all the trades involving Cubs top talent, this one shines as particularly beneficial to the organization.

Already a top-level prospect, PCA was traded while recovering from shoulder surgery in his non-throwing arm. Still, it was a trade the Mets organization wasn’t entirely behind.

Former New York Mets president Sandy Alderson recalls his trepidation in giving up such a high-ceiling talent.

“I didn’t want to give him up, but the team deserved reinforcements at the deadline, PCA was hurt — out for the season — but we really liked him, Alderson said. “The best thing about trading for Báez was not re-signing him. He did give us a boost, and some controversy, but deGrom went down again, and that was that.”

PCA Learning And Maturing

Crow-Armstrong has had his struggles as a Cub. His 0-14 run at the end of the 2023 season was particularly ugly. He also struggled for most of 2024, getting sent down to the minors once, before having things click over the last part of the year.

But he persisted and learned, adding some patience and perspective to his prodigious skill set.

“I needed the reps, and I needed to suck,” Crow-Armstrong told Yahoo. “I just had to put in my time. I had to put in my time failing. And it was really hard while that happened. But the funny part is, that uphill climb…it’s like, I was able to start appreciating my little wins a little bit more.”

Crediting manager Craig Counsell for helping him ease into his major league role, he now sees the game in a much different light.

“Last year was super informative,” Crow-Armstrong continued. “There was not much that was really asked of me last year further than, ‘Can you just show us that you’re ready to go play nine every day?’ And that made my life really easy once I grasped a much better understanding of what that really meant.

“You want to go 3-for-4 every day, but the game’s too hard, and nobody in the clubhouse expects me to do that. So why would I be putting that pressure on myself if everyone else is just, ‘Hey, can you go put a ball in your glove when it matters?’”

Rookie year behind him, PCA is now set to keep moving forward and, hopefully for the Cubs, add some postseason experience to his resume.

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